Barley and ‘Bored’ of disappointing food
The Turkey Hot Brown, a brunch menu item, comprised of slow roasted turkey, sourdough, tomato, bacon, and gruyere gravy.
Some restaurants are hit or miss, so you order what hits hard and steer clear of everything else. Well, Barley and Board manages to have both hit and miss components in the same dish.
It was 1 p.m. on a Sunday and with the brunch and lunch menus in front of us, we ordered the bone marrow as an appetizer.
It came out topped with a parsley pesto and smoked salt, all of which only enhanced the delicious flavors of the marrow. This dish had my mouth alive with savory flavors I hadn’t tasted since I was in New Orleans. It wasn’t a lot of food, but it was a rich taste that absolutely blew me away.
This obviously made me anticipate the bold flavors I was sure our entrees would have that much more.
My smoked salmon scramble came out looking delicious (they really do a great job of plating their food). I took that first bite and immediately tasted the fishiness of the salmon. I expected a much smokier salmon, maybe something with even just a slight bit of crunch to it. Instead, I found myself looking for something else to eat it with on my plate to cover up its taste.
Something I have to note though, is how amazing the scrambled eggs were. Fluffy, just moist enough, a little bouncy and full of flavor. Even if I would have had just a little plate of eggs on its own, I would have been immensely more satisfied than with my overtly fishy salmon and soggy spinach.
Moving on to the turkey hot brown, I was crestfallen. You read “slow roasted turkey” and “bacon” in the same description and immediately expect something that tastes like cardiac arrest and a good time.
The dish was neither of these things. The “gruyere gravy” nearly ruined it, making everything underneath it soggy and flavorless while also not even having much of its own flavor.
The highpoint of this dish was the brittle bacon that survived only because it topped the gravy. By this point I expected the brittle crunch of the bacon to taste altogether burnt, but it was actually really flavorful and charred. Again, something I would have been much happier with if it would have just come out on a small plate all by its lonesome.
It’s also worth mentioning there was a generous dusting of paprika over the entire dish, which (like the gravy) added nothing to the course.
Overall, Barley and Board had some pleasant surprises, but mostly some not-so-great surprises. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here (except maybe for that bone marrow). The prices were far too high for the flavors I encountered, making me think they’re just taking advantage of being that cool and aesthetically different restaurant among the others on The Denton Square.
On the bright side, I heard the bar is nice.
Best thing that hit the table: The roasted bone marrow almost brought me to tears. If you’re going to go to Barley and Board, order this as you’re being seated.
People who would love this: Anyone who loves hipster aesthetics and overpriced food.
Price range: About $30/person after tip.
Featured Image: The turkey hot brown, a brunch menu item, comprised of slow roasted turkey, sourdough, tomato, bacon and gruyere gravy. Claire Lin
Brutally salty food, overpriced, small portions.